


Memoriam

by DreamyRequiem



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Alternate Universe, Cross-Posted on Tumblr, Gen, I'll add more characters as they appear??, M/M, Mind fuckery, War, headcanons treated as fact, might be canon divergence?, well the war stuff is more in the background :' )
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-05-21
Updated: 2016-08-08
Packaged: 2018-06-09 17:41:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 6
Words: 14,340
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6916984
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DreamyRequiem/pseuds/DreamyRequiem
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Deletion was surprisingly pleasant.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Memory Start

**Author's Note:**

> Unbeta`ed, my apologies!
> 
> Inspired by these [two](http://dreamerdarkrequiem.tumblr.com/post/144624120980/suddenlyprompts-deletion-was-surprisingly) [prompts](http://dreamerdarkrequiem.tumblr.com/post/144422028800/otpprompts-person-b-is-created-andor-raised-to)

Deletion was surprisingly pleasant.

Perhaps 'deletion' was too strong a word--would erasure work better? He didn't know. All he did know was that he'd acted against orders and he was now going to pay for it.

Alright, so perhaps it wasn't so much as pay for it as being forced to follow said orders without his knowledge. He didn't want to do what they wanted him to so they were--were programming his own mind to follow the orders subconsciously.

He felt sick.

His ability to choose for himself...they swore they'd never take that away. Yet here they were, with them dismantling and reworking his mind to their liking. He wanted to scream, fight back, escape--but he can't do that anymore.

Light gleamed into his eyes and he squeezed them shut to shield them. It didn't stop them from watering from the initial light shine and he wondered why they were doing this to him. Did they want to torture him just before they finished the erasure? It seemed like something they would do after all this.

Screams of rage echoed in his ears. He knew it couldn't be him-- _his mouth felt like it was sewed shut_ \--but who could it be? As far as he knew everyone that should be here was perfectly okay with what was happening--

A searing pain crawled up his spine towards his skull and he choked on bile. Nooo _Nononon **ononono**_ \--

\-- _Ah._

The pain was...go...ne...?

Wh...a _...t..._

* * *

...Huh?

Jude blinked as he leaned on the window seal. What was that just now? He frowned as he thought--but the harder he thought about it the quicker the details of...whatever that was vanished. Soon enough it was just a vague haze of pain.

Closing his eyes, he pressed a hand to his forehead. Jude shook his head. That...must've just been a nightmare.

He shook his head and pushed away from the window where the blue expanse (The sea?) shone in the twilight. Alright, so he should look around the room. It seem fairly basic, he thought as he glanced around. Two beds and there were two drawers.

On both of the beds were suitcases. One was open and the other was closed. He glanced over the open one and quickly determined it wasn't his--it looked like the style of clothes his father wore. Did that mean the other suitcase was...?

Tugging open the suitcase, Jude pushed through the clothes and quickly determined that yes this suitcase was his. But why did he have a suitcase in the first place? He didn't remember packing this...

And then someone spoke.

"Jude?"

Startled, Jude turned to the speaker. "...Dad? Wha...Where are we?"

Derrick seemed to be a frozen statue as he stared at Jude like he'd never seen him before. Then, as if shaking himself from a dream, Jude's father took several steps forward and laid a hand on his shoulder. For some reason Jude felt like his father wanted to hug him but was refraining.

Why did his dad seem so...sad?

Jude glanced around, seeking his mother. Before Jude could ask where she was, Derrick answered his first question. "We're on a ferry to Elympios."

Taken aback, Jude glanced back out the window where the sun inched ever closer to the horizon. That explained the expanse of blue--it was the sea. "Okay...Why are we going to Elympios? And where's Mom?"

Derrick's grip on Jude's shoulder tightened. "...Don't you remember? Ellen...there was an accident. You were badly injured and Ellen was...killed." The admission seemed to hurt his father and Jude stared.

His mother was...dead?

No, that can't be...why wouldn't he remember that? Something like is...something he should _definitely_ remember. Jude's jaw worked as he tried to put these thoughts to words but for whatever reason he couldn't say it.

There was a sigh as Derrick squeezed Jude's shoulder again. "I...You were badly injured." He repeated. "It was a head injury--Both I and the doctor who healed it agree that there would be some memory damage but the healer didn't know how bad it would be."

Memory loss? Jude sat heavily down on his bed, Derrick's hand leaving his shoulder as he did so. That was heavy and Jude didn't expect it. Then again who expected to be told you had memory loss?

Jude breathed.

Okay, calm... _Calm_. He just need to breath. A hand started rubbing his back and he heard a quiet murmur. He knew it was his dad but Jude could easily pretend it was his mother. She'd always...always sung to him after he had an altercation with the bullies Leronde.

He blinked as he realized his cheeks was wet and his eyesight was blurry. Ellen...his mother. She was gone and he didn't even remember it, which was the worst part. To have to have someone else tell him that after the fact...

And then he remember the last thing his father had said. "Bad? I don't..."

Derrick started slightly before letting out a shuddering breath. "It seems your memory is damaged. I've told you about your mother's death before but you forgot...again." Judging by the expression on Derrick's face it was clear that he'd done it quite a lot.

"Oh."

Jude blinked slowly. Well, that was relief bit a sarcastic voice from the back of his mind and he closed his eyes. So it was likely he'd forgotten other things too then. He'd...have to think of a solution, before he forgets yet again.

An almost awkward silence descended upon them. He nodded before finally clasping his hands in his lap. So, they were on a ferry and Jude now had some rather major memory problems.

Come to think of it...why hadn't his father answered him about why they were on the ferry?

"Dad...," Jude said, "Why are we on this ferry?"

Derrick winced and Jude's heart sank. What could've possibly happened? "Dad?"

He shook his head. "I'm sorry, Jude. I doubt you remember but...The new policies regarding people originally from Elympios are harsh. People like me...we're not allowed to stay in Rieze Maxia if we're not married to someone in Rieze Maxia."

Jude felt chilled. Did that mean...? "You...were kicked out of Rieze Maxia?"

Derrick sighed. "Technically, we both were. After all you _are_ my son."

_Eh?_

"W-wait, because mom is dead...we're leaving?" Forever? "But...Leia, and everyone else in Leronde...!"

His father looked pained. "I'm sorry. At best you'll...have to send her letters. It would be best to let her know about your memory loss as well." Derrick paused. For a second, it seemed like he would apologize again but he stopped himself before he could. "...I believe we should rest for the day. Tomorrow, I'll talk to you to make sure you remember, Jude?"

Jude gave his father a tiny nod and the man stood and gave him a wane smile. Derrick said good night before vanishing into the bathroom.

On the other hand, Jude flopped back. The bed was _soft_ he reflected. At least he should get a good night's sleep...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is, just as a second note if you didn't see it in the tags, an AU. It's majorly AU, starting with there being no Schism but both RM and Elympios are separate nations on the edge of war. Current ruler of RM is Nachtigal (Gaius and his sister are high ranking nobles+Gaius is heir due to there not being anyone related to Nachtigal left). Ludger is vice pres of Spirius.
> 
> If you want to read it on tumblr please go [here](http://dreamerdarkrequiem.tumblr.com/). Also any questions about the AU can be thrown at me there too.


	2. Memory I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d

The sun burned through the fog that drifted up from ocean bay. Ludger wished the fog wasn't there at all--it made trying to navigate the Technology Drive harder than it should've been in broad day light. He adjusted his hat as he dodged around an older couple loitering outside one of the weapons shops.

Actually, there were quite a few people around the weapons shops these days...Were people really that worried about a war with Rieze Maxia? Ludger could understand being prepared but many people were being almost paranoid-ly prepared.

He gave a group of teenagers a tight and tired smile as he passed them. The teenagers were worse than usual--Mostly they'd spend their time poking fun at the paranoid families that showed up to gather supplies in case Trigleph was ever attacked.

Well, Ludger thought, not all of the teenagers in the Technology Drive did that.

Especially not the one he was sneaking up behind.

Ludger leaned over and whispered. "Hey, Jude."

The nineteen year old gave a full body shudder before spinning on his heel. "Lud--What're you doing down here?" Jude hissed the question, worry clear in both his voice and his eyes. "You can't be seen down here--don't you realize how dangerous it is?"

Ah, there was the worry. Jude was a worrywart like this--besides, who was going to attack him in broad day light, out in a merchant district? No, they'd be more likely to have attacked him on his way here or back--which might be where Jude's worry was coming from.

"Yes, I do. I thought about it long and hard before coming down." Ludger frowned a little. "I'm not an idiot you, know."

Jude winced. "I didn't mean it like that. Look, I just...You have seen the news right? Of those assassinations of high ranking people in both the government and companies?" He looked serious. "Or have you not been paying attention to the news recently?"

Ludger 'ah'ed. So that was the reason why Jude was so worried huh? He quirked a smile and resisted his urge to ruffle the younger man's hair. Spirits, sometimes Jude was just...Ludger laughed softly to himself.

"Ludger...!"

Oh right, he needed to reassure Jude. "Yes, I've seen the news. Yes, I know I fulfill those requirements. But, Jude? I'm pretty sure I'll be fine." Before the medic could argue, Ludger waved a hand. "I can defend myself--Besides, I have you here too, don't I?"

He succeeded in leaving Jude speechless as he went a brilliant shade of red. Jude was easy to embarrass if you knew what to say. This just so happened to be one of those things--that is to say tease Jude's almost nonexistent pride.

"With that settled...I wanted to know how you've been doing?" Ludger knew that Jude had been having some problems with nightmares for the past few months. It had caused a minor case of insomnia--though Ludger hesitated to call it that--and judging by the bags under Jude's eyes...

Jude shook his head. "If you're asking if I've had any night mares, no I haven't." He turned his gaze to the crowd around them. "You'd think I'd feel better but...if anything the lack of nightmares is putting me more on edge than when I was when I was having them."

Ludger hesitated. He somewhat sympathized--he'd had a period of violent nightmares a year before he'd met Jude. Eventually, however, the nightmares passed and while he'd been on edge for a while, he'd managed to not lose sleep over it like Jude was.

But what should he say to try and reassure Jude? Ludger didn't know.

While he was pondering this, Jude started fidgeting with something clasped in his arms. Ludger blinked and looked down at the tan envelope clasped tightly against Jude's chest. Huh? "Hey...what is that?"

Jude almost jumped. "A-ah, this? It's nothing all that important--!"

He doubted that and snagged the envelope from Jude's grasp. The medic actually squawked but Ludger was too busy staring in shock at what was clearly a...drafting letter.

They weren't actually starting to draft people into the army, where they? The situation with Rieze Maxia couldn't be that bad already, could it? Before Ludger could come to grips with the envelope's existence Jude snatched it back.

"It's not what you think it is." Jude blurted. "It's an acceptance to my form as a nurse--!"

Ludger blinked. Wait...nurse? "What do you mean?"

Jude's shoulders slumped. "I...Please, don't tell my dad okay? He'll be worried and then start saying I can't do it because of my memory problems...!"

"Woah, calm down! I won't tell your dad, promise." Without thinking, Ludger caught Jude's pinkie with one of his as he said promise. "Don't worry. But what do you mean by nurse?"

The medic shifted nervously. "I...So, things have been tense between Rieze Maxia and Elympios, right?" He waited for Ludger's nod before continuing. "Well, I figured if a war does start, Elympios will start drafting...so I beat them to it by joining the medic teams."

Ah. That...was an interesting way of not being drafted into the army. But...

"If they find out you can fight, they'll pull you into the fighting, right?" Ludger frowned. If joining the medical crew was meant to get him out of the fighting, wouldn't they check to see if their medics could fight or not? The Elympian Army did have a combat medic division...

Jude nodded. "They might. But if they did they couldn't make me a combat medic--most of my training is for stationary healing."

Ludger didn't offer the obvious solution--to give Jude a spyrite to boost his healing abilities. He didn't want to dash Jude's hopes of being stuck in the med tents with injured soldiers.

He glanced back down at the envelope. "...They don't care you're originally from Rieze Maxia?"

When the young man winced Ludger echoed him. Ludger was about to apologize when Jude said, "They did, at first. But when they saw that my dad was from Elympios originally they seemed more willing to let me in."

They shared a grimace. The racism between Rieze Maxia and Elympios was part of the reason the two nation were still at each other's throats. Others had to do with Elympios reliance on technology while Rieze Maxian was more mysticism--but Ludger hardly cared about that.

"Well," Ludger said lamely, "That's good?"

Jude smiled weakly, tucking the envelope under his arm. "Y-yeah. Anyway. It's getting late--so if just talking to me was all you wanted, then you've got an update." He smiled wryly.

Ludger blinked. Oh, right. "Y-yeah, that's why I came. Though, now I'm here...I think I should probably pick up some new gels for Julius' stash." _And then get back to work before Vera tracks me down and murders me._

The medic laughed lightly. "Alright." He hesitated before saying, "So...could I ask you a question before you go?"

Huh? "Sure."

"Uh...You didn't ask if I remembered you. Why not?" Jude glanced away, grasping his wrist.

Ludger 'oh'ed. "Ah, well...As soon as I said hello, you went into that worry fit. I figured I didn't need to ask after that."

Jude blinked. Ludger smiled. The younger flushed and looked away. "A-ah, okay. I should..." He gave the crowd a nervous look. "I should return to the clinic before Dad starts wondering what I'm doing."

"I should buy those gels and return to HQ myself." Ludger admitted. "Vera...will probably be upset with me if I don't return soon."

Jude laughed and nodded. He waved once before turning and heading down the street. Ludger watched him go until he vanished completely.

He sighed. Damn, he'd been hoping to ask Jude if he wanted to accompany him. One day, though, one day...Ludger would get the chance to do it.

Ludger shuffled to the first of the merchants--ones he frequented often. They knew him well enough that they didn't try to milk him for all he was worth as other merchants would do to the vice president of Spirius. He supposed that was only natural, considering these merchants were the same ones he went to before he became vice president.

They knew he hadn't always been high up.

Adjusting the cap that covered his silver hair, Ludger started back to the Spirius HQ building. He kept an eye out for anything suspicious because spirits knew that Vera and Julius would be on his case if he didn't--as would Jude if the medic ever found out.

(Which is why Ludger never would.)

He waved his security pass to a pair of guards as he jogged through the glass doors. It was a pain that they'd stop him every single but. Well. He could hardly complain about the money he was making now. Granted, he was hoarding as much as he could out of the money he was getting.

Old habits die hard.

The elevator he entered had very few others, which was surprising. Usually there were other people at this time of day. Frowning, Ludger stepped out onto his floor--and froze. Why were people gathered around one of the offices--that was Orlando's office wasn't it?

Worried, Ludger jogged over to where he saw Vera and Julius. The former was talking to a pair of reporters while his brother seemed grim as he spoke with an agent.

"Julius?"

His brother started and looked at him. "Ludger...? Where have you been?"

Ludger was taken aback by Julius' fierce question. "I was down in the Technology Drive merchant's district." He waved the small bag to emphasize this. "Wh...What's happened?"

Julius closed his eyes with a deep breath. "Orlando...He was found dead in his office an hour ago."

* * *

"Dad? I'm home!"

Derrick peeked out from an examination room where he was finishing an appointment with a patient. "I noticed," He said a touch dryly before turning back to the woman he was with, "I suggest bed rest and if you haven't gotten better after a week, try the Zilla Herbal teas."

The woman hummed in understanding and got up to leave. Derrick followed after her and flipped the open sign to close as she left. Jude locked the door after her.

Jude glanced at his father, nervous. He'd already headed in and hidden the envelope in his most recent memory journal but he was still worried Derrick would find out about it.

"So how was your visit with Ludger?" Derrick asked as he headed back to the living area. Jude blinked before jogging after him, confused. How had he...?

Well he might as well ask. "How did you know I met with Ludger?"

Derrick shot a look at him. "You just told me. Besides, you always seems more...annoyed whenever you return from seeing that Alvin." He looked unhappy at the mention of Alvin--also and better known as Alfred Vint Svent.

"Because Alvin doesn't know the meaning of personal space." Jude muttered. "My meeting was fine--I just wish Ludger would be more worried about himself."

He recieved a sharp look for that. "Maybe you should worry more about yourself than others--maybe that will get them worry about themselves more."

Jude winced. That wasn't how it worked was it? "....I suppose."

Derrick sighed as he started dinner. Jude grimaced in return. He hated disappointing his father--especially when Jude was practically the only family he had left.

(Apparently, his parents never did approve of him marrying a Rieze Maxian.)

A comfortable silence fell and Jude was relieved. Comfortable was better than awkward--which was what the silences between him and his father usually were.

The sound a knife hitting a cutting board echoed through the silence and the water began to boil in the pot. In an hour dinner was ready and Jude was setting the table.

"Should I turn on the news?" Jude asked as he put the glasses on the table.

"Hm?" Derrick glanced at him. "...Alright. We do need to stay caught up."

Jude smiled faintly before grabbing the remote and turning the TV on. It was already on the news--and the news anchor was reporting was another murder.

And it wasn't just any murder--it was a murder in the heart of Spirius HQ, supposedly one of the most secure places in the world--second only to the palace in Kanbalar of Rieze Maxia.

"Ludger." Jude breathed. He almost panicked and went for his GHS--when the news anchor announced that the murder had taken place the night before.

He relaxed.

Okay so no, not Ludger.

Ludger wouldn't have been able to visit him today if he was dead.

Derrick laid a hand on his shoulder. "...We should eat, before we lose our appetites." Jude nodded weakly and turned away from the news. He can rest easy for now, knowing that Ludger was safe for now.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Alvin's been mentioned--he's not as jaded in this AU but he's still a butt who likes to put his arm over Jude's shoulder, haha.  
> Also, some mention of the potential for war and spyrites! In this AU spyrites were made years and years ago (a century or so?) earlier but RM still holds a grudge against Elympios for their old usage of spyrix.


	3. Memory II

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d.  
> Italics are flashbacks, italic+bold are documents/texts/phone convos.  
> Chapter takes place during Fifth month of Elympian calendar, on the 16th. The date is important.

Ludger's pen scratched against the paper. It was just another contract about new employee regulations. Personally, he thought Bisley was being far too heavy handed with these new regulations. But what could he do about it? He was just a simple vice president.

There were some things he wasn't allowed to change.

His eyes flicked up to his new bodyguard and then back to the contracts. Yes, no matter how much he didn't want this bodyguard there wasn't anything he could to change that. Even if he did want to run off just so he could spend some time alone and away from his responsibilities.

He tapped his pen on the desk as he read the contract under the new regulations contract. This was one about a new trade agreement between them and the Red Falcon Fruit company. Ludger frowned, trying to remember where he had heard about the RFFC. It hadn't been at work...

Oh, that's right!

Jude had mentioned a while back that he knew someone who was funding the RFFC. Something about it being an attempt to bring Elympios and Rieze Maxia closer together.

Ludger could hardly fault the company for trying but the damage between the two nations would take more than just a single company to fix. He paued his pen tapping. Maybe...Maybe Jude would have an idea?

Or even Derrick. That latter would probably have a better idea than the former. He had been raised in Elympios and has then spent over 15 years in Rieze Maxia in relative peace.

He dropped his pen to dig through one of his obsidian desk drawers. Ludger pulled out a stack of sticky notes and jotted down a note to call Derrick ad find out what Ludger could do. Maybe he could even check up on Jude...The younger man hadn't answered any of his texts all week.

Not since that meeting before Ludger had found out about the murder.

* * *

_Bisley's arms were crossed as he leaned back in his chair. The look on the president's face made a chill run down Ludger's spine. He didn't like the look at all._

_Julius' hand touched Ludger's shoulder to show support before he pulled back, turning to Bisley. "Are you sure this is a good idea? If that murderer realizes how onguard we are, they might hide away," He said._

_"If that were the case they wouldn't strike every month on the dot." Bisley replied, leabing forward once more, his fingers steepled together. "Many of the previous targets since these murderer started eight months ago had guards. All of them have died."_

_Ludger's chest felt hollow. "So you're assigning a bodyguard and giving me a dictated schedule so that I'm not...caught unawares." Bisley nodded. Ludger clenched his hands. So sacrifice his freedom or is his life then._

_He bit the inside of his cheek. Ludger had to try and get away from this. "How is that going to help me? Didn't you already say that previous targets had guards?"_

_There was a sigh from Bisley and Ludger knew he'd made a mistake saying that. "Your new schedule will keep you in areas that are already heavily monitored. Your personal bodyguard will make the security extra tight." Overkill, then._

_"The murderer has already proven they can get in and out of the building without being detected," Bisley said getting up to look out the window. "I cannot risk the lives of my directors and vice president to this monster."_

_Liar._

_Julius' hand restrained Ludger from lashing out, verbally or not. Bisley waved a dismissing hand and Ludger grit his teeth. What the hell. Yes it was awful that people were dying. That they couldn't find the killer. But how was taking away his freedom protecting him?_

_As the two stepped out of the office, Ludger said quietly, "I feel like a little kid that was just grounded."_

_The bitter way he said it drew Julius attention. He hesitated before saying, "Ludger, I know you don't like this, but we're just going to have to deal with it for now."_

_Ludger scowled. "I just don't like that he thinks he can dictate what I can do when he didn't even know I existed until I was twenty." And then he'd dropped the vice presidency on him. As if that would make up for him being a horrible father for the first two decades of his life. "I'm not a child."_

_"You acting like one," Julius said. Ludger winced. He sighed and patted Ludger's shoulder. He pointed to a young man standing straight back by the elevator. "There's your new bodyguard. You better go and introduce yourself before Bisley does something drastic."_

_Julius left him then. Ludger watched him go, feeling numb. Okay, fine he was acting like a child. But maybe he didn't want his fa--the president of the company he worked for trying to dictate his life._

_Next thing Ludger would know, he would be forbidden from even seeing any of his friends. Aaron, Nova, even Jude..._

_Letting that train of thought loose, Ludger walked to the young man. He had silver hair (not all that different from his own) and the standard uniform for a spirius agent. The main difference in the uniform was the red scarf bunched around his neck._

_He saluted Ludger. "I'm Agent Ivar. I'll be your bodyguard from now until the president orders me otherwise." Ivar seemed to be vibrating in place. Was he...excited? About what? Ludger eyed him before stepping past him into the elevator._

_Ivar followed after him and took up a spot right behind him. That was going to take time getting used to._

_Hopefully he wouldn't end up jumping five feet into the air every time Ivar appeared until he did get used to it. Or hitting Ivar--that would be worse out of the two outcomes._

* * *

_**Dear Leia,** _

_**Please do not burn down the Inn. I don't think I'd be happy if I got a letter from your mother scolding me for 'encouraging you' to juggle pancakes over an open fire.** _

_**Be careful when traveling around outside Leronde, okay? The monsters have started getting more violent than usual every where. It's worse here in Elympios because the monsters here are naturally violent. Everyone is used to it though.** _

_**I can't say the same about Rieze Maxia. The violence from the monsters is probably pretty bad over there. People don't know what to do, I'd bet.** _

_**Are you sure you want to try being a journalist? I heard they have a bad reputation because of some of the nosier ones. You better stay safe. Ah, but while you're out, maybe you should look and find out if GHSes are still outlawed. It'd be nice to hear your voice again.** _

_**There was a murder in Elympios again. It's the eighth death since the murders started eight months ago. No one knows who they are yet.** _

_**Rumors are that they're Rieze Maxian and that they're trying to start a war. I don't if it's true. They could be Elympian and trying to start a war. Either way, it's still a problem.** _

_**Do you remember Ludger? The guy I mentioned used to work at my old second job? The one who became the vice president of Spirius? He's been sending me messages for the past few weeks about how his schedule is being made by someone else now and he can't see me in person anymore.** _

_**I haven't answered any of them because I don't know what to do or say. Do you have any advice for me? You helped out a lot after that argument I had with Alvin two months ago.** _

_**Granted that was an argument and not just me not knowing what to do.** _

_**Still, any help with this would really be appreciated.** _

_**Stay Safe,** _

_**Jude** _

* * *

His mind was going numb from reading these contracts. Repeatedly doing this was going to make his brain turn to mush. Should he keep going?

Logic said that he'd have more to do if he didn't do it all now. But it also said that if he didn't take a break he'd have a harder time doing this.

"Ivar," Ludger said, "How about we both take a break and go grab something to eat?"

The bodyguard hesitated. "A-ah, well...My job is to protect you, Mr. Kresnik! I can't go on break! Not when that assassin can show up at any time!"

Ivar was so eager to please. It was almost cute.

If only it wasn't stopping Ludger from having a break.

He stood up from his desk. Maybe it was time he actually stood up for himself, instead of just rolling with the punches. Perhaps Bisley would start listening to him then.

"I need a break. So, if I go on break and it's your job to guard me than wouldn't you be going on a break?" Ludger rationalized. Ivar seemed thrown and was tapping his chin in thought.

Without another word, Ludger snagged his coat as he left the office. Rapid footsteps followed him and he smiled. It seemed that Ivar was going to follow him after all.

The elevator ride down was quiet, save for the occasional greeting exchange. Ludger let out a silent sigh of relief as they hit the first floor and almost ran out. Almost being the keyword--though jogging out wasn't any better.

Of course, the prospect of fresh air was quickly dashed.

"Ludger, what are you doing?" Vera frowned at him from by the secretary desk. Why was she down her? Had she somehow predicted he would do this? Could she read his mind?! At the lack of response, she narrowed her eyes at his bodyguard. "Ivar?"

Woah, okay, low Vera. You couldn't even wait until he could answer? Ivar shifted uncomfortably behind him. "E-er...we're...going on break?"

Vera narrowed her eyes before nodding. "Alright. Make sure you stay close, Ivar. And you." She shot a look at Ludger. "Do not cause any trouble." She turned away, her heels clicking across the floor as she headed to the elevator.

He heard Ivar better something that sounded almost like 'she's scary'. Ludger couldn't blame him for that.

Vera was scary.

Ludger straightened and walked out of the building, trying to look dignified. He's fairly certain he failed at that. On the steps of the building, with Ivar at his side, he cast a look up at the Spirius HQ.

Even now, the building looked like an ominous beacon. A beacon for what, Ludger didn't know.

Sighing, he waved to Ivar and the two began the walk to Marian's Diner.

* * *

**TEXTS TO: Jude ლ(=ↀωↀ=)ლ**

**_Fif.9; 10AM: hey do you have time to talk?_ **

**_Fif.9; 1PM: did something happen?_ **

**_Fif.10; 12PM: are you okay?_ **

**_Fif.11; 11AM: well i wanted to tell you that im probably not going to be abe to get away from worked easily anymore._ **

**_Fif.11; 11AM: all this trouble caused by that murderer has made bisley paranoid so im getting a bodyguard._ **

**_Fif.11; 11AM: also i got a schedule where if i don't show up they'll assume the murderer got me._ **

**_Fif.13; 3PM: im sorry did i upset you?_ **

**_Fif.15; 1PM: jude?_ **

**TEXTS FROM: Jude ლ(=ↀωↀ=)ლ**

**_Fif.18; 12PM: Sorry. I was busy._ **

**_Fif.18; 12PM: It's okay! So long as you're okay, I don't mind if we can't see each other that often._ **

**_Fif.18; 12PM: Besides we have GHSes. We can just call each other._ **

**TEXT TO: Jude ლ(=ↀωↀ=)ლ**

**_Fif.18; 3PM: yeah i guess youre right. ill talk to you later?_ **

**TEXT FROM: Jude ლ(=ↀωↀ=)ლ**

**_Fif.18; 4PM: Alright! Bye._ **

* * *

Ludger waved a hand at the sign. "Here we are! Marian's Diner!" He beamed proudly at the quaint diner. He'd worked here before he'd become the vice president. In many way he wish he could return to that basic way of life.

Ah, if only he could trade everything except the amount of money he made, he'd do it in a heart beat.

"This place isn't great enough for a vice president!" And Ivar just soured the mood.

He frowned, crossing his arms as he did. "I'm pretty sure I'm the judge of that, Ivar." Ivar flinched at his tone and Ludger sighed. He probably came off harsher than he meant to but he wasn't going to take it back.

Ludger was sick of other people dictating his life. Especially when he used to have freedom.

"Ivar." He began, his gaze turned away from the white haired bodyguard. "The reason I come here is because I used to--"

There was a squeal. "Ludger!!" Someone bodily tackled him with a joyful cry. Startled, Ludger looked down at the person who had tackled him. Ah, why wasn't he surprised? She was the only one he knew who would do this.

"Hey, Nova." Ivar, who had dropped into a defensive crouch, blinked. Ludger grinned and patted Nova's head. She squawked. "How have you been?"

She beamed and let him go. Brushing off her uniform, Nova said, "I've been good! But it's been pretty boring here without you and Jude to liven things up."

He rolled his eyes. "You say that every time I come by. Do you tell Jude that too?"

Nova's grin widened. "Yes. He gets all adorably red--you'd think I'd just teased him about his crush or something." What was that supposed to mean? And why was she giving him that meaningful look?

"Right." Her grin was replaced by a pout. "Anyway, Nova, shouldn't you be working?"

The diner waitress coughed. "Well, yes. Buuut, this is my last day!" She winked at him, elbowing his side. "I got a great new job! I'll be a secretary but it pays twice as more as this job." Nova called out a no offense to Marian, who had peeked out of the kitchen to say hello.

Ivar shifted besides him and Ludger sighed. "I'd like to know more, but maybe later Nova? I only have so long on break."

"Ahahaha, right! Sorry! Come on, this way..."

The two got seated and ordered food. Ivar kept looking around, looking decidedly uncomfortable. Ludger tried not to stare at him but finally gave in. "What's wrong?"

Ivar started. "I'm sorry, sir?"

Ludger pinched the bridge of his nose. "I asked what's wrong. You don't look alright."

"Er..." Ivar looked like he was trying to think of something to say. "I didn't expect this to be a place you'd come to."

"He used to work here." Nova chirped as she brought the food. "So he shows support for us by coming here to eat. Sometimes he'll come by with Jude too."

A strange expression flashed across Ivar's face. "Who is Jude?"

Nova grinned and pulled out her GHS, sliding her finger across the screen until she handed the GHS to Ivar. He took it warily before starting at the picture. "This is...?"

She pointed at the screen. "This is Jude. He has a different hair style now but nothing else has changed."

"Are you showing him that picture the three of us took together?" Ludger asked, leaning forward. Nova nodded, gave them a peace sign, and then took her GHS back.

Ludger watched her go with a smile. He turned back to Ivar and paused. Ivar's hand, the one the GHS had been in, was clenched tightly and he looked faintly sick. "Ivar...?"

His hand dropped. "Yes, sir?"

"Do you know Jude?" Maybe he did? It's not as if Ludger knew everyone that Jude knew.

Ivar smiled. It looked fake. "No. He just looks a lot like someone I did use to know. That's all. Ah!" He returned his attention to the food. "We should eat before the food gets cold!"

* * *

_**Jude!** _

_**Okay first off, I was not juggling pancakes over an open fire! I was just flipping them! And there's no way I'd end up burning the Inn down. I'm more careful than that.** _

_**Speaking of being careful...if anyone should be telling someone be careful, it should be me! I know what you're like. One minute you'll be doing your job and the next you'll helping some random lady down the street half way across town. If anyone is going to get into trouble because of these monsters attacks, it's you.** _

_**Of course I'm going to be a journalist! I really wanted to be a nurse. But there's no one around to learn from anymore and my family can't afford to pay for me to go to Talim. So journalism it is!** _

_**I'll check on the whole GH things but I bet they still require permits. Jeez, everyone is so paranoid about tech from Elympios. It's kind of ridiculous!** _

_**Aaah another murder?! That's really bad. Who was it this time? Most of the people who've died seem to be high up.** _

_**Ludger? Hehe, you mean the guy you have a crush on? Oh don't make that face, you know I'm teasing you. Why would he be targeted? Is he important or something? Has he gotten threatening letters?!** _

_**Hm...I guess you should make sure he knows you're not upset. And then tell him it's okay?? I mean you both have GHSes right? So you guys can use those to talk.** _

_**How has Alvin been since then, anyway?** _

_**I'll stay safe if you do,** _

_**Leia** _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope the letters/texts are easy to read orz  
> Sorry about how late this update is! I usually update whenever I finish a chapter so because it's less pressure on me. anyway, two new characters got introduced and a tiny bit of plot??  
> PS I'll try to lay back on flashback sections but I couldn't figure out how else to introduce Ivar...orz my apologies.


	4. Memory III

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d.  
> Italic bold sections are documents/letters/phone convos.

Ludger stretched his arms over his head. It had been three weeks since the last murder and they had been uneventful. After that first week of wondering if he had alienated Jude, it seemed like things were going well. He and Jude got to talk on their usual meeting day and Ludger was sure that he was getting Ivar to loosen up!

That was saying quite a lot considering ever since that day they'd gone out to eat, Ivar had been on guard and up tight. Ludger wasn't sure what he had said to cause Ivar so much stress. Whatever it was, it seemed he'd either come to terms with it or was ignoring it for now.

He hoped it wasn't the latter: Ludger knew that just ignoring stress was one of the worst things you could do. If Ivar could just talk it out with someone else then that would be ideal.

Cheered by that thought, Ludger stood. Maybe he should take Ivar out again, maybe back to Marian's? He seemed to enjoy it despite what had happened two weeks ago. Ludger might even learn why Ivar had been so tense after that meal.

The vice president was further bolstered by this and was almost skipping as he gathered his coat and bag for the short trip back home. Ivar glanced at him, bewildered by Ludger's cheer. That was okay, Ludger thought, after all Ivar was usually the enthusiastic one. It was his turn for once.

Ludger stopped as Ivar grabbed his elbow. Now Ludger was the one bewildered, giving the younger man a startled look. Ivar let his arm go once it was obvious he had Ludger's attention. "I think I should stay over at your apartment tonight."

_What?_

"Huh? Why?" Ivar never stayed over at Ludger's apartment. Usually he'd just walk Ludger home and then he would head to his own place. Why the sudden change?

Ivar frowned, tugging at the red scarf around his neck. "I just have a feeling something bad is going to happen tonight. I'd rather I had an eye on you, in case something happens."

So he was just worried huh? At least Ivar wasn't demanding to do every little thing for him like he had when they first met. "I'll have to talk it over with Julius first, but if he's alright with it, then you can stay the night."

His bodyguard didn't seem all that happy about the stipulation but agreed and the two set off. Ludger would try his hardest to pry conversation out of Ivar and Ivar would in turn do his best not to give in. Thus, the walk back to Ludger's apartment was silent, save for the sounds of the city around them.

Once they actually arrived at his apartment, Ludger had to stop to talk with the landlord. The woman was intense on a good day. Today did not seem like it was a good day for her.

She chewed him out; Apparently they had left the TV on today and the volume had been too loud for the neighbors. That had lead to them complaining to her. Then there was the fact that she had to call a repair man. Apparently the trash compactor in the basement had shorted out, leaving piles of garbage for her to take care of.

_(The repair man had never shown up.)_

Ludger was a little annoyed at how he was chewed out over something minor. He'd more upset if it weren't for the whole trash bag compactor thing. He wouldn't want to have to deal with that either.

Ivar seemed tense next to him through the lecture. Once it was over the bodyguard all but dragged Ludger to the elevator, annoyed himself. Ludger sighed. He supposed it was only natural: Ivar hadn't ever met his landlord before.

"She's not that bad," Ludger said as the elevator door closed. "Most days she's pretty friendly. This was a bad day." The vice president was fairly sure his reassurance wasn't helping.

The younger man grumbled in irritation, his arms crossed. He was not happy about the landlord's treatment of him. Ludger sighed. If he was honest, he was happy about it. He was sick of people licking his shoes just because he was Spirius' vice president now.

Ah, to be back in the time where no one even gave him a second look...

The elevator chimed as they reached the floor Ludger's apartment was on. Sighing, Ludger led the way down the hall to his door. He wished Ivar would talk to him, instead of being tight lipped most of the time. The only times he talked now was when he was concerned about Ludger's security.

"I'm home!" Ludger called out as he stepped into the apartment.

Julius chuckled in greeting, "Welcome home, Ludger." He paused as he saw Ivar trail in after Ludger, "Hello, Ivar. You don't usually come in after escorting Ludger home."

Ivar nodded before he put his hand son his hips, suddenly up beat. "Well, I thought it'd be best if I stayed over tonight! I've heard about some bad rumors--nothing to do with Monthly Murder--and I'm worried about Ludger."

His brother nodded in understanding and commended Ivar for his dilegence. Ludger however frowned at the 'name' Ivar had dropped. What, or who, in the world was that?

Ludger cleared his throat to get Ivar's attention. "Well, it seems my brother is alright with you staying over. But What is 'Monthly Murder'?"

"Oh!" Ivar suddenly bowed. "I'm sorry, I thought you knew! Monthly Murder is the moniker people have been using about that murderer I'm protecting you from. Some have called them the Royal Monthly Murder but the shorter Monthly Murder is what stuck." _He is way too enthusiastic about this_ , Ludger thought.

Why was he so upbeat out of the blue anyway? He'd seemed down only minutes earlier. It's like the moment he saw someone besides Ludger he cheered up. The thought made Ludger scowl for a moment but he shook it off. There was no need to be jealous of all things about Ivar being more comfortable around other people.

There was a laugh from his brother. He said, "Haven't you been paying attention to the reports the agents on that case have been sending in? They have the 'name' for them written there."

"I didn't know we had agents on the case." Ludger admitted, frowning. As vice president, he should've been told right? Julius seemed to agree judging by his equally pensive frown. His brother murmured 'odd' under his breath before standing from the table.

Julius pointed at the couch. "You can sleep on the couch, Ivar." Before Ivar could protest, Julius continued, "I'll get some sheets and pillows from the closet for you to use. Ludger? What are we having for dinner?"

* * *

_**Welcome to Spirius Filing.** _

_**Subsection 4.8b; Public Agent case files** _

_**Case 207; Monthly Murder** _

_**File 18** _

_**This is an investigation report into the death of Director Harrison Orlando.** _

_**According to our initial investigation, the killer likely had some sort of sharp object. It was assumed to be a knife or dagger but during the follow up investigation, we found a letter opener tucked behind the shelves. It was likely hidden there by the killer.** _

_**Finding the murder weapon has not gotten us any closer to the killer. There were some fibers stuck to the letter opener, specifically where the blade met the handle. Unfortunately, there were no finger printes, pointing to the possiblity that the killer was wearing gloves.** _

_**We've analyzed the fibers and they came back as cotton mix that is found in a very common glove set. We've checked the entire area the tower and while we found what seems to be the remains of one of these gloves, it does not contain any of the DNA belonging to the killer. It does, however, have blood from the victim on it.** _

_**It can be assumed the killer was wearing gloves underneath this common pair of gloves. We are not yet sure what type of gloves yet.** _

_**Judging by the bruises along the victim's arms, legs, and torso, it can be eaisly assumed that he was knocked around. The bruises match those on the previous victims so we are now drawing the conclusion that the killer is a martial artist of some kind.** _

_**Without footage of what kind of martial artes, we cannot confirm the killer's nationality or even their age, gender, or sex.** _

_**We will continue to investigate to find any more clues and make another report on what we find.** _

_**\--Short hand notes** _

  1. _**Victim killed with letter opener. Might have been knocked out before hand(?)**_  

  2. _**Bruises on arms and legs appear to be from being incapaticated. Bruises on chest are older than the others, due to the fact they're more developed.**_  

  3. _**Glove remains with the victim's blood on it found. Common variety that can be bought at almost any store in Elympios.**_  

  4. _**Still unsure of how the killer managed to get into the tower. Look into camera footage?**_  

  5. _**Killer is likely a martial artist, judging by continued use of improvised killing weapons, broken necks, and bruises.**_  




* * *

Ludger pressed a hand to his face, trying not to groan at the sheer audacity of the request in front of him. Why _now_ of all times? If this guy was going to request a meeting about Red Falcon Fruits why couldn't have been earlier?  


Especially when Ivar was on edge, ready to fight anyone that so much as looked at him wrong.

Ivar's paranoia had only gotten worse since he had stayed the night at Ludger's apartment. He'd stayed over every night since then. Had he decided to stay tonight, Ludger wouldn't blame him. It was now a full month since Orlando's death.

Because of that, everyone in Spirius was on edge. Ludger was sure he was the only one that wasn't about to have a panic attack at any second except for maybe his brother. Ivar was currently having one at the thought of Ludger staying late at the Spirius building.

"I said I might have to, Ivar, not that I had to," Ludger said, tired. It really depended on this meeting he had with the Elympian backer of Red Falcon Fruits. If it was short, Ludger would be able to go home right on time. If it took longer than he expected, he'd have to stay late.

Ivar began to protest but Ludger held up a hand. "Even if the 'Monthly Murder' got into here last month, it doesn't mean they will this time. Security is tighter than ever and I do have you." As Ivar swelled with pride at the compliment, Ludger added silently _Plus, I can fight too._

Over all, staying at Spirius over night would be the better option, as far as Ludger was concerned. With that thought in mind, he called the RFFC backer for the meeting.

While he waited, Ludger worked on getting a head start on all his paper work. There was far too much of it, in his opinion. Some of it he was sure other's below him could take care of but weren't. Did they think it was funny to send it to him? He scowled.

"Woah, what's got your pants in a knot?" Someone joked.

Ludger jolted, dropping his pen. He looked up at the speaker. They were tall, brown haired, and had one of the most ridiculous looking beards he'd seen in a while. This was Alfred Vint Svent? Ludger had a different image in his head from trying to imagine what Svent was like.

"Nothing that concerns you," Ludger said, distracted as he quickly shuffled his paperwork and put it to the side. He coughed to hid his embarrassment at being caught unawares. "So, you're Alvin Vint Svent, right?"

The man smirked faintly. "And you would be Vice President Ludger Will Kresnik." It was not a question.

What the hell, had Svent looke up what he looked like? Had this been a meeting on the street Ludger would've asked. Instead he said, "That's right. Now, what can I do for you, Mister Svent?"

Svent flopped into the seat in front of Ludger. "Ah, just call me Alvin! Everyone does these days." He laughed.

Ludger twitched.

'Alvin' leaned forward, resting his chin on his floded hands. He's grinning and Ludger has the intense urge to slap the grin off his face. Clearing his throat, Ludger said, "What can I do for you then, Mister Alvin?"

The older man seemed put out but responded, "Well, I heard from my friend Yurgen--he's the head of Red Falcon Fruits--that they're being taxed quite a bit by the Elympian government. Spirius is responsible for things like this so I tracked down who approved of the taxation. That's the story of how we got here!"

"I understand that but that doesn't tell me why you're here." And how the hell you managed to find out I was the one to sign that paperwork.

'Alvin' smiled. A shiver ran down Ludger's spine. Alarm bells were ringing in his head. "Well," 'Alvin' said, "I was wondering why. After all, Red Falcon has a Elympian backer. Wouldn't that immediately take the Rieze Maxian Merchant tax off the table?"

This man is sly, Ludger realized as he stared at Alvin's stupid beard. Ludger wasn't even sure that there was a loophole like that but he also wasn't sure that were wasn't a loophole. He bit down on the inside of his cheek. No, no, he couldn't back down. First off, he would be giving Spirius a bad name and second, Julius would give him a sad look and Bisley would give him a long lecture.

Spirits, there was _no way_ he was getting stuck in a Bisley Bakur Lecture.

"My apologizes Mister Alvin but regardless of whether or not Red Falcon has an Elympian back is not relevant to the Rieze Maxian Merchant Tax. They are still centered in Rieze Maxia and thus must pay the tax." Ah, now Alvin was twitching instead of Ludger. Ha! That would...not teach him because now Ludger was being petty.

He cleared his throat. "I am sorry. I understand what you're trying to do, but I need to do my job." _It's the only one I've got, after all._

"Yeah, I got it. I won't let it end like this," Alvin warned. "I'm going to keep trying."

Ludger stomped on the urge to say 'good luck with that'. "As you say." He glanced to the door. "If that's all you needed...?"

Alvin nodded once, sharp. "Yeah. I guess it is. Maybe next time Mister Kresnik." He got up, straightened his suit, and left the room without a single glance back. Ludger pinched the bridge of his nose. Origin and Chronos, that couldn't have gone any worse could it? All they needed was an insane murderer to burst in and kill them both to make it the worst.

Ivar popped in, frowning. "Is everything alright?" Ludger shook his head. "What happened?" Ivar blurted. He looked mortified when he realized what he said. Ludger couldn't help but smile.

"It's fine, Ivar. We just couldn't come to an agreement."

His bodyguard didn't seem to want to push the issue. Ludger didn't want to either. Ivar backed out of the office once more and the door slid closed with a snap.

Well.

It seemed he'd have to get back to work. Ludger shot the pile of paperwork an unhappy look. At least he should be able to get this done before nightfall.

Even as he dug into the paperwork with that hope in mind, he knew it wasn't going to happen. The sheer volume of all the things he had to read and approve was staggering. It brought the worries of other people, primarily directors on the board, shafting their own work onto him. If it was true, he didn't know. All he did know was that he had to talk to Julius about it.

If anyone would know, it was his brother.

This thought made Ludger perk up. Getting to the bottom of this ridiculous work load after nearly two years of it would be gratifying. The only reason he hadn't done it sooner was because of the work load itself. It had just been too much.

Now that he knew how to handle it? Well, Ludger was going to do what he could to get rid of whatever work he didn't need to do himself. He liked having a breather every now and again.

Ludger hummed to himself, barely paying any attention to how time flew by. Hours passed and the sun set before Ludger finished the last piece of paperwork with a flourish. He leaned back to take a deep breath before put the pen down.

He frowned as he realized something; Ivar had not once interrupted him. It might've just been because he wanted Ludger to finish his work as quickly as possible but...

"Ivar?" Ludger called out. He stepped around the desk, noting how quiet the entire office sounded. No, it _wasn't_ just the office. It was the building itself.

So when he heard a thump and gasp from the other side of the door, Ludger stiffened up, one hand reaching for his allium orb.

The door slid open and who walked through almost made Ludger's heart stop. Not the person them self but who they were dragging along behind them. Ivar, who was unconscious _(or dead)_ and being dragged along by his hair.

_**No.** _

Ludger felt a rush of possessive anger roar up in his chest. Who the hell did this guy think he was? Ludger barely gave the figure's dark clothes, hood, and mask a second glance as he equipped his dual pistols.

The figure dropped Ivar's hair and the unconscious boy hit the ground with a thud. Furious, Ludger took aim with his right pistol. Ivar's attacker spun around, their foot catching Ludger's wrist. The way it was aimed and how it hit: It wrenched Ludger's wrist and sent the pistol flying.

Before Ludger even had a chance to think about going for it, the figure had dived and caught the pistol, turning it right back on him. Ludger barred his teeth in a snarl as he jerked the other pistol around to shoot just as the attacker took aim with their stolen pistol.

They squeezed the triggers of their respective pistols and--

**_BANG!_ **

\-- _fired._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)


	5. Flashback I

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`ed.  
> I feel like I'm going to be killed for this.

Julius Wi Bakur was not a happy teenager. He was far from it actually and for good reason: His mother had died when he very young (just a baby, for Spirits' sake!) and his father's way of coping was to have an affair with Julius' aunt. Or so the servants in the too-posh apartment he lived in with his father whispered when they thought he wasn't listening.

His aunt had apparently vanished a few years after his mother's death. Julius had heard plenty of rumors that his father had something to do with it, to shut her up about something she had learned during the affair. Julius didn't want to believe a single one.

Bisley Bakur was a harsh and stern man but he was still Julius' father. He couldn't just turn his back on the man no matter what he may or may not have done. How would he even be able to call himself a good person if he could do that to his family?

(If someone were to tell him that in a few years he'd be desperately doing whatever he could to keep his younger half brother safe from his father, he would likely have called agents on them for insanity.)

With all that said, Julius certainly hadn't been expecting to see any family members on this trip--let alone his estranged uncle. Julius had last heard that his uncle Victor was living in Duval so to see him Drellin and looking by all rights a resident of the city was bewildering. Victor himself clearly hadn't been expecting to see Julius either so at least Julius wasn't alone in his confusion.

"I see my brother is sending out children to do Spirius' work now," Victor said, his voice a cool monotone. It was thanks to a long history of controlling his reactions that stopped Julius from cringing at the comment. "What does he want now?"

That implied his father had gone to Victor before. Julius stifled a frown: He hadn't heard anything about this.

Instead of answering, Julius pulled out the file he'd been given before he left on the train. Inside was information on his target--one he was meant to bring in no matter the consequence. His eyes flicked over the words (Pale tawny hair, green eyes with a hint of gold) before closing it.

"Father doesn't want anything from you," Julius said calmly, "I'm on a mission to retrieve someone. Spirius would appreciate whatever aid you can give but it is not necessary for me to do my job."

Victor's lips pursed and some emotion flashed across his face. Julius hesitated to identify it.

The older man turned away, his gaze hitting the distant choppy gray view. "The view is nice, isn't it?"

What?

Julius frowned and opened his mouth to tell his uncle that he didn't have time for idle chit chat but Victor continued. "Spyrites have helped quite a bit with the damage done by Spyrix. Even so, there's no doubt that our country will continue to show the scars from Spyrix for decades to come." Victor glanced back at Julius and a breath got caught in Julius' throat.

"You shouldn't let Bisley do the same to you."

The comment was quiet but it was enough to shake Julius from his frozen state. He jutted out his chin in his best imitation of his father. "That has nothing to do with my mission here I'm afraid. If that's all you have to say to me, sir, than I'll be taking my leave."

Victor only bowed his head. It was close enough to a dismissal that Julius hurried away. At a walking pace of course: he wouldn't run. That was undignified and also unbecoming of someone who was supposed to take over Spirius after his father.

That being said, for all his shocked indignation at Victor's audacity, Julius was cursing himself. Even if what Victor had said had hurt in a way he should have kept asking him about the woman he was supposed to be finding.

If only the file had a photo he could show to residents, it would make his mission so much easier.

But he didn't so he just had to breath in and move on.

It didn't take long for Julius to find a lead, to his immense surprise. According to the merchant, the woman was often in the marketplace looking through wares with her young son.

Julius felt a twinge of sorrow aimed towards the boy. After all, the boy's mother was going to be brought in and likely jailed. That was what usually happened, in any case.

After a little more digging, Julius found out where the woman was staying. He'd also found out that her name was Claudia from an enthusiastic group of kids--all who seemed to think he was related to her somehow. Just because he had tawny hair like 'Claudia' didn't mean he was related to her.

Either way, he better head to where she was before someone mentioned him to her. It wouldn't be good if his target up and vanished on him before he could bring her in.

* * *

**_Target Profile_ **

**Name: Unknown**

**Appearance: Female. Tawny Hair and Green eyes with gold. Somewhat tall, though exact height is unknown. Thin with lean muscle.**

**Age: Presumed to be in late Twenties**

**Reasons for Arrest: Suspect in Kidnapping Case**

**Warning: Target is considered to be potentially dangerous. Proceed with caution.**

**_Information gained from Residents_ **

  * **_Target's name is Claudia._**
  * **_Apparently has a son. The kidnapped victim? Or potentially her actual son._**
  * **_According to the residents, she is very mellow. Approach carefully while keeping any weapon out of sight._**



* * *

The house Claudia lived in was small. Julius was sure the apartments he and his father lived in were bigger than this quaint little place. And yet...yet the atmosphere around it was different than the apartments he lived in. Everything about it seemed happier.

Julius pursed his lips before stepping forward, his hands clenched and ready to summon his blades in defense. He knocked as light as could be.

A scuffle inside made him tense even further.

And then the door opened.

The woman standing there felt familiar. Her face and the the brief gestures he saw as she turned her head to say something to someone inside. He would've watched her longer but the moment she saw his face she froze like ice.

"Why are you here?" She whispered, her green eyes (with a hint of gold, like the file had said) flashed with fear.

Julius stifled his surprise: He'd expected an instant attack. Unless...unless she feared to attack him while anyone walking by could see them. It was one of the reasons he had refrained from pulling out his swords.

She seemed to have realized he wasn't going to answer. Her grip on the broom she was holding tightened. "Will you come inside?" 'Claudia' asked, her voice strained.

Well.

It would be easier to get her to come quietly if he convinced her she was in the wrong. He nodded once and 'Claudia' stepped back to let him inside. Once he'd walked past her, she shut the door with an audible click.

The atmosphere grew tenser as she turned and walked past him. With no other option, he followed her. 'Claudia' put the broom down next to one of the seats in what seemed to be a cross between a seating room and dining room.

'Claudia' clasped her hands on her lap. "Why are you here?" She asked as Julius sat down across from her, his hands still ready to summon his blades.

"You should know already," Julius said, his voice flat as he could possibly make it. "I have no reason to explain it all again."

She narrowed her eyes, her lips pursed. There was confusion in her eyes but Julius was trying valiantly to ignore it. "If I had known, would I have asked? I would not waste our time like this if I had."

Their conversation devolved into a staring contest. Julius was sure he'd win--he'd never lost to a suspect before. But 'Claudia's' gaze unnerved him in a way only his father (and more recently, his uncle) had been able to.

Julius looked down at his hands.

The woman across from him sighed. "Julius Wi Bakur. I know who you are. But I don't know why you're here." she paused, her lips pursing as if a thought had occurred to her.

The fact that she knew his full name unnerved him further. He tensed, his hands itching. Spirits, he very much wanted his blades now, if only as an anchor.

'Claudia' clasped her hands. "...Do you really have no idea who I am?"

He tilted his chin up, defiant. "Yes, I do," Julius said, "You're 'Claudia'. A suspect in a kidnapping case--"

Shit.

"Kidnapping?" Her voice went quiet. Yet it was still far more intense than it was before. "If you're referring to my son who I carried to term, birthed, and kept away from his mad for power father, than I suppose I am a kidnapper."

Julius flinched. What? This must be a joke. Either she had just confessed to it or she was mocking him. If what she said was true, though, than why would she be accused of being a kidnapper?

'Claudia' gave him a stern look. "Even then, that does not tell me you know who I am. What is my name? And do not just say 'Claudia'."

His hands clenched on his knees. He stared at her. What else did he even need to know? He knew her first name, where she live, that she apparently had a son that was the supposed kidnapped victim and...that was it. But that was all he needed to know.

"Why would I even need to know that? My job is to bring you in as an agent is meant to do to any suspect." His voice is not shaking.

She opened her mouth to continue when a clatter of noise gained their attention. 'Claudia' shook her head, exasperation rolling off her in waves. Just as she stood to go see what caused the clatter, a small form bolted into the room. They stopped and looked up at 'Claudia'.

"Um. Hi, mom."

'Claudia' crossed her arms, one eyebrow raised. "Ludger. What did you do?" He ducked his head, looking upset. 'Claudia' sighed. "I'm not mad. Just tell me what happened, okay?"

Ludger looked up, his eyes shining with guilt. "`m sorry, Mom. I knocked over that vase from Uncle Victor." Julius froze as 'Claudia' softened.

She reassured Ludger that he hadn't done anything too bad ("I didn't like that vase very much, anyway, little one.") and shooed him off to clean up the broken vase. He disappeared with the broom that had been leaning on the couch.

"Why did he call my uncle 'Uncle Victor'," Julius choked out, trying his best to keep his voice flat.

'Claudia' sent a sharp look at him. "Because Victor is Ludger's uncle, by blood, just as he is your uncle by blood."

"I think I would know if my father had a sister."

She tilted her head, looking down at Julius. "I'm not Bisley Bakur's sister," 'Claudia's' voice was quiet as she said this, "My sister's name was Cornelia."

Julius was up and almost out of the house before he realized what he was doing. When he did, he just kept going. He would not listen to those lies. Never, ever. She was a liar just like his uncle.

As he ran, Claudia called after him. "Tell Bisley Bakur that if he wants anything to do with my son, he's going to have to go through me."

He didn't look back.

(Yet.)

* * *

(Later he goes back and he learns everything. What his father is really like, what he does, and why Claudia ran. And then Claudia offers to take him in.)

(He accepts.)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Backstory about how Julius met Ludger.  
> As a side note, Victor and Claudia are both important due to the fact that they kick Julius out of his self destructive nature. In this universe Victor is Bisley's brother.  
> Next chapter will be a continuation of the last chapter.


	6. Memory IV

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Unbeta`d.  
> Not much to say this time, besides the usual 'italic bold means documents/letters/etc'

The agent's hands tapped against the paper on the table. "Tell us again what you remember of the assailant."

"They were shorter than me. About 5 foot 6? I'm not sure of the exacts," he paused, "I couldn't tell if they were male or female. Everything moved so fast...All I can tell you for sure was that they were wearing a lot of black and what looked like a chest plate made of leather. I think they had black hair but even that I'm not sure of."

The agent clearly wasn't satisfied with his half answers. It wasn't his fault that he didn't have any full answers to be satisfied with. He wasn't happy either, but he doubted the agent cared about that.

The papers flapped as the agent put them on the table. They waved one hand and he stood and half stumbled to the door. He had been sitting in that chair for far too long.

He stepped outside and stopped as the agent called to him one last time. "Mr. Kresnik. If you remember anything else, let us know."

Ludger glanced back and told him that they would be the first to know if he remembered anything else. It wasn't as if there was anyone else he could talk to about this. Julius wasn't cleared for this and Ivar was no longer working as his bodyguard.

The way out of the interrogation rooms was long. It was to stop suspects from being able to escape easily but it was a pain for everyone else to travel. The elevator was uncomfortably large as usual and the main hall for the Spirius HQ was rather empty, to his surprise. 

He stopped and looked around. For a moment, he had a deep feeling of dread before it faded away.

It likely had something to do with this place being quiet and empty. The last time it had been this empty he and Ivar had both almost died. His shoulder ached at the reminder and he sighed. At least the bullet had only skimmed him.

The assassin however? They got a bullet right in their shoulder. If it hadn't been for that, the bullet that had grazed past his arm would have hit his chest. And the assassin would have never left.

Ludger walked out of the building, his shoes clicking across the floor. The front doors swooshed open and Ludger slipped past the agents gathered around the shattered glass at the foot of the stairs.

As he walked away from the building he looked up where he could see the shattered window of his office. Smoke still wafted out of it and he sighed. It wasn't going to be cleaned up any time soon. Which meant he'd be doing his work in another office until it was clean.

It also meant that any blood from the assassin's wound would've been vaporized, or else they would be rushing to clean the office after gathering that evidence. Now they were scouring it for anything that could help.

He was fairly sure the fire arte the assassin had cast has been just for that reason. To destroy evidence.

How frustrating. How clever.

Ludger sighed before heading down from the stair way down to main streets. There were some people crowded around and pointing at the smoke and broken glass but none of them approached him. Which was good, because Ludger was feeling fairly paranoid now.

The technology drive seahaven was clear. He knew that would be a place to feel less like he was about to be gutted. Ludger jogged through crowds of people, jumping on occasion when someone got a little too close to him.

When he arrived in the technology drive seahaven, he had to stop and admire how nice the seahaven looked. Julius used to say that the water had been low, just to one's ankles, before spyrites were brought into use. In the past few decades since the conversion to spyrites, the seahaven as well as many other places in Elympios had recovered at a ridiculous rate.

It was unfortunate that the monsters' aggression hadn't lowered at the same speed.

The monsters' aggression meant that the Spirius agents still had much to do besides watching over the cities for crime, however. And not just the agents: There were whole groups of people in Duval who relied on that for their pay.

So perhaps it isn't as unfortunate as he thought, save for the lives that were still being lost.

He sighed. Every cloud may have a silver lining but they also always had an obsidian core.

Ludger's GHS rang and he started, surprised. If it was the agents, he was going to go nuts from all their questions. He pulled his GHS out and flipped it open. The caller ID was not a Spirius number. It was Jude and Ludger felt relief.

Thank the spirits it was someone who wasn't going to drive him to madness. Then again, this wasn't their usual day to talk. Why was he calling him now?

"Hello?" Ludger answered the GHS. "Jude?"

There was a sigh of relief from the other end. "Oh, you're alright. The news wasn't saying if anyone had died," Jude said, his voice thick with worry. "So I thought you might be..."

Ah, that explained why Jude had been calling him. His friend had probably been worrying himself sick. Jude worried far too much for it to be healthy.

Ludger shook his head despite knowing Jude couldn't see him. "I'm fine. No one was killed. The assassin, whoever they were, got away though."

"That's...not good," Jude said, "I mean, it's wonderful no one died but the assassin could come back for you."

He was touched but also a touch peeved. Jude's worry and over protectiveness in the face of danger were endearing when they weren't aimed at him. Then again, Ludger supposed it was only natural to be overprotective when your own mother died protecting you and you didn't even remember it.

Fiddling with the strap hanging from the GHS, Ludger replied, "If they do, it won't be for another month. It wouldn't fit their MO and, well...I did shoot them."

"Wait, you shot them?" Jude sounded shocked.

Ludger smiled at Jude's shock. "Yes. I got a warning just before they could get close enough to hit me so I pulled out my guns...and well, I lost one. I still managed to get a shot off thought."

Jude was silent on the other end. Ludger bit his lip before he heard a wry laugh finally come from his friend. "I'd rather you hadn't been in this situation but I can't change that. Is there anything I can do to help?"

His free hand hovered over his aching bullet cut. He wanted to say yes, to tell Jude about his injury. But he knew that if he did Jude would start worrying once more. He shook her head, even though he knew Jude couldn't see him. "No, I'm fine. But, hey! On the bright side I'm free from that schedule now. I could come by today?"

Ludger had a hard time keeping the hope out of his voice. He hadn't seen Jude or any of his friends in a month. It had been because of that schedule and he had been talking with Jude over GHS but he was aching to see his friends in person again.

"I'm sorry," Jude said, sorrowful, "I have a friend coming over today that I haven't seen since before I moved to Fennmont. Maybe next week?"

A part of Ludger was disappointed but he couldn't blame Jude for wanting to see this friend of his. This friend of his was obviously important. "It's okay. I should probably head back to the apartment soon," Ludger said in return, "But you know, I do want an update on how you've been. I mean, besides your friend! Has anything happened over there?"

There was a cough.

"Ah, well...yesterday I had to get some equipment my dad needed from Helioborg. Along the way I got into a fight and a monster got my shoulder pretty badly..." Jude went on and Ludger quirked a wry smile.

At least he wasn't the only one getting into danger around here.

* * *

**_Jude!!_ **

**_I got the job!! I was so worried because I'm Rieze Maxian and yeah some of the people here don't seem to like me much because of that but the chief editor was totally cool!_ **

**_He's kind of tough on me but I totally understand why. He wants me to prove to everyone that I can be just as good as them, that being a Rieze Maxian doesn't have anything to do with being a good journalist._ **

**_My new apartment is really small, like one room with a built in kitchen apartment. It kind of smells but it works for now! When I get more money from work I'll totally get a better apartment._ **

**_So have you seen your booooyfriend Ludger yet? Oh, right, he's 'not your boyfriend'. Maybe they’ll let him off that schedule now? It seems kinda dangerous to keep him on it. I mean, why would they restrict him like that? Sure Spirius has a lot of security but it totally makes him seem predictable. Sounds dangerous to me._ **

**_Anyway, back to my apartment! I've gotten all settled in which didn't take as long as you said it would. So, is it okay if I come by? You can let me know through my new GHS!_ **

**_Hope to see you soon!  
Leia_ **

**_PS I'll have my GHS number on a separate paper in the envelope, okay? And it's definitely not because I almost forgot about it!_ **

* * *

Ludger puffed out a breath. It was far too hot, in his opinion. Trigleph generally was hot during the summer months but he wished they were a little cooler before the summer months had even come to Trigleph. At least he'd mostly be in air conditioned buildings for the duration of it.

Summer...That was called Efreeta in Rieze Maxia wasn't it? He remembered Jude mentioning it, and the other seasons, to Nova once. Something about the Spirit Climes being affected by the seasons. Ludger wondered what exactly that meant.

Maybe he should ask Jude about them the next time they spoke.  


He swung back and forth on the swing. The kids that usually were playing on the play set were all at their schools. Or at least Ludger assumed so: That had been where he had been at this time of day when he was a kid.

It was nice to just...sit back and not think too hard about things. To not have to worry about threats to his life. He remembered a time when he never had to worry about threats to his life. It was something that he often thought and he knew that if he voiced those thoughts whenever he thought them the world would consider him a whiny child.

Hells, he thought he was being a whiny child.

Ludger stopped swinging with a sigh. Well, there went his happiness. Gone, with the fall wind.

He tapped his foot against the ground. Soon he'd have to head to work, to head back to the grind. It wasn't something he was looking forward to at all. At least he'd gotten a few days off next week. He'd go see how Ivar is doing, see Jude for the first time in person in over a week, and have lunches at Marian's.

What an excellent relaxing vacation.

Now if only he could get rid of his paranoia before then it'd be perfect. Perhaps he should talk it over with Julius? Then again, Julius might just make him more paranoid.

It was starting to get late, he decided. Time for him to head home and perhaps to that talk with Julius. The kids would be coming home soon anyway.

Ludger sighed as he walked away from the swing set. He stopped as he saw someone unfamiliar hanging around the front door of the apartment building. It was easy to notice her considering the vibrant yellow clothes she was wearing.

"Excuse me, Miss? What are you doing?," Ludger asked, frowning.

The woman squeaked and spun. Her green eyes widened in surprise and she fidgeted in place. Why in the world was she so nervous? Ludger's frown deepened.

She waved her hands as if trying to show she wasn't a threat. "I-I'm just looking for someone! I was told that I had an appointment with them and that I was going to get a short interview but when I went to the Spirius building they said they weren't there and then they said they were here and!" Her rambling continued and Ludger's head spun.

Well, this was certainly a change of pace.

Ludger said, "That could be a lot of people, int his building. There's the head of the Department of International Affairs, the 'Crown Agent of Spirius', the vice president--"

"That's it!" She pointed at him, excited. "That's who I'm supposed to be meeting!"

He glanced down, confused. As far as he was aware he didn't have any appointments with anyone. Fishing out his GHS, he said, "I'll find out where the vice president is, alright?"

Her eyes lit up as Ludger backed away, dialing Vera's number. If anyone would be able to tell him if he had any appointments scheduled, it would be her. The GHS rang for five seconds before Vera's voice echoed from the other end.

"Hello, Vera," Ludger said, cutting off her question as to why he was calling her, "I was wondering if I had any appointments today?"

Vera clicked her tongue briefly before hushing herself. "No, Mr. Kresnik. According to your schedule, you don't have any appointments with anyone for two more days. May I ask why you're asking?"

Ludger sighed. "There's a girl here saying she was told to interview me. She said she went to Spirius but was told I'd be here. As you've said I don't have any appointments, I'd assume she is either lying or was lied to."

"I wouldn't know. It's up to you to take of this as you are currently on the scene I am not." Cold but practical. That was very Vera.

He ran a hand through his hair as he agreed with her and hung up. Ludger returned to where the girl was eagerly waiting for him. This was going to feel like he was kicking a puppy wasn't it?

"I'm sorry," He apologized, "According to Ms. Vera, the vice president doesn't have any appointments for a few days. I'm afraid that whoever told you you have an interview might've been lying to you."

She looked taken aback before something akin to realization flashed across her face. Her shoulders dropped and she muttered something about checking with her editor. Shaking her head, she apologized, finishing her apology with a deep bow. That was different.

Before he could tell her it was fine a ringtone went off. Ludger recognized it as a generic ringtone for a GHS. The girl fumbled with her pocket before she pulled out a GHS. She grimaced and panicked for a moment before she stuffed her GHS away. "I'm really sorry, again, but I've to go! Um, thank you for telling me about the appointment!" She bowed again as she apologized before she suddenly raced past him.

Cupping his hands around his mouth, he yelled, "It's fine! Don't worry about it! And I'm sorry for keeping you!" She waved back before she vanished down the hill.

That had gone surprisingly well. Ludger had been almost sure that she was going to get angry at him. The fact that she didn't but instead had accepted and moved on was interesting...though the bows had been more so. He was sure he'd seen bows like that before.

Ludger paused as he turned back to the apartment lobby doors.

Oh, damn, he forgot to ask her name.

* * *

**SPIRIUS FILES**

**Department of Internal Affairs**

**Recorded Conversation during Observation of [Jude Mathis]**

**Thursday, 11th of 6th Month, 4307 Primia**

**FILE EXCERPT**

**...**

**_[Stranger]: You're literally the worst sometimes._ **

**_[J.Mathis]: Says the one who tried to jump me in my own home._ **

**_[Stranger]: It wasn't that bad! I didn't even jump you. I just yelled boo. Why are you so high strung anyway?_ **

**_[J.Mathis]: [making a face] I don't know. I've just been jumpy the past couple days. It's part of the reason I got nicked by that monster yesterday._ **

**_[Stranger]: More like bit--Derrick told me what happened while you were off sulking._ **

**_[J.Mathis]: Leia, it really wasn't that bad. I took care of it._ **

**_[Leia(?)]: Doesn't mean I'm gonna stop fussing. So, in other news, when am I going to meet your boyfriend?_ **

**_[J.Mathis]: [seems annoyed, sighs] He's not my boyfriend, Leia. I've told you this maybe a million times by now._ **

**_[Leia(?)]: It's obvious you like him though! You talk about him the most out of everyone you've met here. Plus, you just blushed when I called him your boyfriend._ **

**_[J.Mathis]: Leia. Ludger is not my boyfriend. Just because I might like him doesn't mean much when I'd rather not ruin our friendship. Can we not talk about this?_ **

**_[Leia(?)]: Riiight. Fine. Okay, tell me all about your daring exploits from the past few months. [bats her eyes]_ **

**_[J.Mathis]: What daring exploits? [confused] Has dad been telling you things that definitely didn't happen again?_ **

**_Leia(?)]: Maybe._ **

**_[J.Mathis]: Well, I'm more interested in what's been going on with you. You seemed upset earlier._ **

**_[Leia(?)]: [groans] You won't believe what happened. My coworkers tricked me with saying they needed an interview with the vice president of Spirius. It turned out to be a lie, but it was stil upsetting to realize._ **

**...**

**Excerpt End**

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope everyone is happy that this didn't end on a cliffhanger this time :' )  
> And yeah, Jude is under observation by Spirius. So is Nova and Aaron, two of Ludger's other friends. Mainly because they want to keep an eye on people who have a close connections to the Spirius higher ups.  
> And yes, Leia is here! She'll be appearing a few more times int he main story. : ) Likewise, Alvin (who appeared in an earlier chapter) will be showing up again later.  
> I should probably add them and Ivar to the list of characters shouldn't I?


End file.
